


petrichor and gypsy magic

by orphan_account



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Asgore is not a major character in this one, F/F, F/M, Frisk has an admiration crush on OC, OC has magic(sort of), OC is kind of a shameless self-insert, This is trash
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-19
Updated: 2016-04-24
Packaged: 2018-05-15 00:13:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,216
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5764375
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>On Toriel's way home from work, she saves a young woman and takes her in as a new member of her family. But there is much more to this simple teenager than she thought. </p><p>(This is a repost and had major tweaking after the first time it was published. I hope you like it.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Bizarre and Eccentric

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Toriel takes a teenager in and decides that the girl will fit right in with her family.

Toriel never liked cars, she was a bit too big to fit inside of them. She didn’t like the thought of being trapped in a death machine made of flammable material, that wasn’t exactly her forte. She was fine with walking, even in the rain. It had been a late day at school, she had gotten out of work at 6’o clock instead of her usual 4’o clock. She had a staff meeting and then she graded papers for that last hour and a half.  
On that particular day, she had decided to take a longer way home, since Papyrus had mentioned something about bonding with little Frisk that morning. She shrugged and allowed him to do as he pleased. She didn't really have to rush since she probably didn’t need to make dinner. She smiled to herself at the thought of the peaceful evening it might be. Papyrus and Undyne almost always tired Frisk out, and it wasn’t hard to get the little seven-year-old into bed when they played with their energetic friends. 

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of loud crying and men shouting in a nearby alleyway. She rushed over there and peeked into it, trying her best not to make a noise as she watched whatever was going on.  
On the cold asphalt sat a trembling young woman, probably barely 17 years old. Her clothes are slightly dirty and her hair is a curly mess. Her young face was streaked with tears and littered in bruises and dust. Surrounding her were two big men, tall and burly.

“I-I’m sorry! I-I’ll get the rent in as soon as I get my paycheck, I promise!” The young lady cried, obviously terrified. One of the men pulled her up to her feet by her hair, about to smash her skull against the brick wall behind her.

“You won’t be having your next paycheck after we’re finished with you!” he barked into her face. The girl let out a terrified yelp, shaking and squirming.  
“P-Please, no, sir!” She said, trying to grab his arms. His arm twitched and he was just about to hit her to be quiet when Toriel shouted.

“Leave that young woman alone!” She said, paws clenched, she took a threatening step forward. One of the men, the one not holding onto the girl glared at Toriel with narrowed eyes.  
“This isn’t any of your business, Monster Queen, so fuck off.”

Toriel was taken aback by his use of foul language, eyes narrowing.  
“If you will not leave her alone I will be forced to make you leave her alone,” She said sternly, taking a few more steps towards them. She really didn’t want to use magic on somebody, but if they wouldn’t comply, she might as well.

The other man dropped the young woman to the harsh concrete, a harsh crack coming from one of her ankles as she fell. She let out a loud yelping and was rewarded with a kick to the stomach. The young woman was knocked against the brick beside her and the blow to the stomach caused her to throw up on the ground beside her.

Toriel’s eyes widened, but she hastily made an attempt to prevent the men from causing any more damage. Within a few moments, both men were knocked out cold. She sighed and approach the young woman, who sat there on the cold ground, crying. Toriel knelt in front of her and put her big paw on the girl’s shoulder. The young woman looked up at her, brown eyes peering into hers.

“Are you alright?” Toriel asked, and the young woman shook her head. Toriel frowned, “What’s your name?” She asked. The girl looked away and mumbled softly,  
“Zaria,” She said. Toriel sat on her haunches and nodded,  
“That’s a very lovely name. My name is Toriel. Presumably, you have no place to stay. Miss Zaria?” She asked. Zaria shook her head,  
“N-Not anymore,” She said. Toriel smiled at her,  
“I’ll gladly allow you to stay at my home until you can afford a new apartment with better landlords,” She said. Zaria’s eyes widened, “O-Oh no, Miss Toriel, I couldn’t do that!” She said, covering her mouth. Toriel laughed softly at the girl.

“It is fine, my child, come. let’s go get you cleaned up and I can have some people fetch your things from your old home.” She said. Zaria’s eyes softened and she started to cry again,  
“Y-Yes, Miss Toriel..” She hiccuped. Toriel slowly helped her up and made sure the girl didn’t put too much pressure on the ankle that had presumably been injured.

...

Toriel opened up the door to house to allow Zaria hobble inside. Toriel then led her into the living room and Zaria took a seat on one of the couches, practically sinking into it and whimpering in bliss.

“Let me take a look at your ankle, Miss Zaria.” Toriel spoke, kneeling in front of the girl. Zaria nodded and slowly took off her shoe and sock. Her ankle was swollen and purple, most likely sprained. The boss monster winced at the young lady’s injury and took her ankle in her paw, gently holding it, careful not to hurt Zaria any further. With her magic, she healed Zaria’s ankle.

“It might be sore for a while, but you’ll be able to walk on it.” Toriel said. Zaria stared at her ankle and then at Toriel, a surprised look on her face at the use of magic.  
“Now, Miss Zaria, how old are you?”

“Sixteen, turning seventeen in three months, ma’am.” Zaria replied, twirling her foot to check if she could actually move her ankle. Toriel nodded,

“Do you go to school?” She asked softly, and Zaria nodded in reply. Toriel asked where she went to school.  
“Ebott High, it’s not too far from here,” Zaria replied. Toriel moved to sit on the couch across from Zaria.

“I’m sorry to bring this up, but why did those men attack you?” Toriel asked. At that question, Zaria tensed up,

“I..I couldn’t afford rent this month...so they tried to ‘teach me a lesson’.” She said. Toriel tilted her head,  
“Do you live by yourself?”  
Zaria nodded her head.  
“But you’re so young! You’re not even an adult..” Toriel said. Zaria shrugged,  
“I can’t afford to be homeless, so I got a fake birth certificate and I.D. and stuff…” She said.  
“Why do you live all alone? Where are your parents?” Toriel asked, not meaning to berate the teenager with questions.

“I ran away from home…” Zaria looked ashamed of herself as she spoke, so Toriel decided not to ask any more questions about that.

“Alright, I’m going to call a few friends to collect your things from your house, you can go take a shower as I do so. The bathroom is upstairs and is the door at the end of the hallway. I’ll leave one of my nightgowns and some towels for you. If you need anything else, just ask, okay?” Toriel smiled at Zaria. Zaria’s face brightened and she nodded.

“Thank you, ma’am, so much. I don’t know how I can repay y-”

“Just call me Toriel, and there is no need for repayment.” Toriel said. Zaria nodded more,  
“Yes, okay, thank you, ma- Toriel..” She said, heading up the stairs to go shower. Once Toriel had heard Zaria get into the shower, she headed upstairs to leave her some towels and a nightgown. Toriel pulled her cellphone out of her pocket and dialed Papyrus’ phone number, explaining the situation to him and how they had to go pick some stuff up from Zaria’s apartment. She asked him to tell Undyne and Alphys.

“Also, before you come home with Frisk, pick up Sans for me please.” She said softly. Papyrus complied and after a quick ‘goodbye’, Toriel hung up. She then decided she’d make some tea for Zaria as she showered. As she was in the kitchen, boiling water for tea, Zaria joined her.  
“Why, hello Miss Zaria! That didn’t take you very long!” Toriel said as Zaria walked beside her.  
“I didn’t want to use up all of your hot water, Miss Toriel,” Zaria said, fixing the towel pinned to her head. Toriel looked her up and down,

“That is very big on you, I apologize if that is an inconvenience for you.” Toriel said, smiling apologetically at the young woman beside her. Zaria shook her head,  
“Oh, no, it’s no inconvenience at all, Miss Toriel. I mean, I’ll be getting my old clothes back soon enough won’t I? I’m not one to complain either.” The soft-spoken girl said, wringing her hands. Toriel’s smile brightened.  
“You are very well-spoken for a young person your age, Miss Zaria. You remind me of my little one, Frisk. Seven years old and they have quite the vocabulary.” Toriel said, bragging a bit about the child. Zaria’s face softened at the mention of a young child, a little smile playing on her lips.

“They sound like a lovely child, Miss Toriel, especially if they were raised by you.” Zaria said, “You sound like you have a nice little family to take care of.” She said. Toriel nodded, giggling softly.  
“Well, you will fit right in, Miss Zaria,” She said. Zaria gave Toriel a wide, genuine smile at that. 

“You wouldn’t mind if I sat down, right?” Zaria asked, pulling out a chair for herself. Toriel shook her head and Zaria sat down.  
Toriel then poured two cups of tea and set one down in front of Zaria, then sat down across from her. Toriel folded her hands and leaned forward a bit.  
“I have a few boxes in the garage we can use to collect your stuff with, and we can drive Undyne’s truck to your apartment, sound fair?” Toriel asked. Zaria tilted her head,  
“Who’s Undyne?” She asked, taking a sip of tea.  
“Undyne is a close friend of mine, I am sure you two will get along quite swimmingly if I do say so myself,” Toriel said, laughing at her own joke. Zaria raised her eyebrows, letting out a small laugh, even if she didn’t understand the pun. She’d figure it out sooner or later.  
“So, you work, correct?” Toriel asked, running her claw over the rim of her teacup. Zaria nodded her head.  
“Where, may I ask?” Toriel leaned forward a bit more to hear her answer. Zaria tilted her head to the side a bit,  
“I work at a fast food joint downtown,” Zaria said biting her bottom lip, “It doesn’t pay much, but I can easily get through.”  
Toriel nodded, “Well, now that you live with us, you do not have to spend money on food or rent. We will take care of you here.”  
“You can’t let me do that. Let me pay some sort of rent, Miss Toriel.” She said, “I don’t want to be a freeloader or anything. If there’s any way I can help out around the house, I can!”  
Toriel laughed at her softly, “If it makes you feel any better, I will let you pay me back by doing some chores around the house.” She said. Zaria nodded her head eagerly, taking a few more sips of tea. She looked up as the front door opened and people came inside.  
“Tori?” A deep masculine voice called from the entrance, “You here?”  
“I’m in here, Sans!” Toriel called, getting up to pour more cups of tea. Zaria seemed a bit excited about meeting new people. A group of monsters shuffled into the kitchen, taking seats at the table.  
A little kid, Frisk, walked over to Toriel and tugged on her skirt and showed her a drawing, in which Toriel smiled brightly and put it on the fridge.  
Frisk looked towards Zaria and smiled at her warmly before walking over. Zaria smiled,  
“Hi, you must be Frisk! Miss Toriel told me quite a lot about you!” She said, leaning forward. Frisk blushed a little bit and looked back at their mom. Toriel shrugged and turned back to preparing cups of tea.  
Zaria looked around the room at the monsters that had sat at the table, she smiled a bit. So, this was her new family. Her bizarre and eccentric family.  
Toriel was right, she’d fit right in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Zaria's a weird little character, ain't she? Next chapter we'll learn a little bit more about her and her past.


	2. A Bizarre Exchange

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zaria thinks about her old home and meets everybody's favorite talking flower.

_It was a Sunday morning, the air was fresh and crisp. The September breeze lifted the curtains slightly and the Sun was beginning to rise, just lifting right above the horizon. Sunshine was just beginning to reflect off boats, and Zaria's step-dad was probably already at work. She stood in front of the window, eyes trained on her mother's car in the driveway._  
_Just ten, ten more minutes and her mom would leave for work; and then she would leave too. Her goodbye note was already sitting on her neatly made bed, listing what she wanted her mother to do with the items she left behind. Pictures from homecoming go to Ryan, her laptop goes to Maddie, Ian and Jake can split her Marvel posters accordingly (except for her Winter Soldier poster, she had already written Ryan's name on it) Devin got a box full of her sketchbooks. Her sister could take all of the clothes she left behind in hopes that eventually, the 13-year-old would grow into them. It was all planned accordingly, she knew where she was going._  
_The town of Ebott. It was far, but not far enough for her to get herself killed on the way up there. Just five bus trips. If she left just a few minutes after her mom did, she'd be there a little past sundown._  
_Why was she doing this? She had a vision about it, and as her mother said, her visions usually came true. One time she had a dream about her mom getting in a car accident when driving with her older brother. She convinced her mom not to go with her brother, and her brother ended up in an accident that led to him breaking both of his legs._  
_She perked up at the sound of her mom backing out of the driveway and leaving down the road._  
_A worried whimper escaped her lips and she picked up her duffle bag. She opened the window and tossed her duffle bag onto the fire escape. The front door wasn't an option, her neighbors would notice. She climbed from the fire escape and ran around to the front._

_"Going to a friend's house?" A neighbor asked, smoking a cigarette on her porch. Zaria looked at her and nodded, smiling coyly before heading off down the street and to the bus stop._

~

Zaria sat up in bed, breath catching in her throat. She grasped for the cup on the side table and swung her legs over the side of the bed. She stumbled, legs tangled in the nightgown she wore. Even if she had her own pajamas, she found comfort in wearing the big nightgown. When she looked in the mirror, she giggled at herself. She looked like a princess in the huge, flowy nightdress. She slowly walked to the kitchen, when she noticed something out of place in the hallway, a golden flower. She slowly approached it. Even if it had only been a week living in Toriel's house, she should have noticed that flower. It was extremely eye-catching.  
She reached out to gently pet the flower's petal when it turned.

"Hey, watch it!" It hissed at her, and then she noticed its face. It was twisted and mean-looking. She let out a quiet yelp and stepped back, "I-I'm so sorry! I didn't know you could-...Wait...You can talk?" She exclaimed quietly, leaning in to stare at the flower with wide eyes. The flower frowned at her,  
"Take a picture, it'll last longer." It spoke, "Anyway, can you mind not yelling? It'll wake up the brat and their mom."  
Zaria scoffed softly, a bit offended by this inanimate object's attitude.

"Who are you anyway, lady?" It said, tilting it's...head? Suddenly, a flash of recognition came across its face and a big smirk appeared.  
"Oh, you're the human girl the brat never shuts up about, Zari. The girl who Toriel took in." It chuckled, and then it's voice became less malicious, kind, even.  
"Howdy, I'm Flowey! Flowey the flower!" He said, reaching out one of his leaves for her to shake. This was one bizarre exchange.

...

Flowey had asked for her to move him to the living room, so they could sit and chat together. When Zaria checked the time on the Grandfather clock against the wall, it said 4:30.  
"So, Toriel found you on the streets?" He asked, examining her, "You don't look homeless."  
Zaria huffed at him, "Because I wasn't, my landlords kicked me out...kind of literally. If Miss Toriel hadn't found me I'd probably be dead." She said, leaning her chin on her head. Her brows are furrowed in frustration, obviously, this whole situation upset her.  
"I couldn't afford the rent, so they beat me up." She said, looking down at the table.  
"You look a little young to have an ID."  
"That's because I am, I'm 16." She said. Flowey shrugged his leaves,  
"We all gotta live somehow, right?" He said.

The two talked for a while until Toriel woke up, coming out of her bedroom and into the living room. When she spotted the two speaking, she smiled kindly,  
"Seems like you've met our houseplant, and he hasn't tried to kill you yet, which is a good sign." She said. Flowey glared at her as she walked past,  
"Yeah, yeah..talk all you want, your majesty," He said in a frustrated voice, "But I'm a changed flower. I'm no longer homicidal."  
"Whatever floats your pot, Flowey..." Toriel spoke as she walked into the kitchen to make breakfast.  
"Do you need help, Miss Toriel?" Zaria asked, standing up and walking into the kitchen.  
"Oh, yes! Thank you, child!" Toriel said, getting some eggs and bacon from the fridge as Zaria got the pan.  
Frisk walked out into the living room and into the kitchen to fetch some water for Flowey per request of the potted plant (and quite a loud request too).  
"Goodmorning, my child." Toriel said, patting the child on their head.  
"Morning, mom." Frisk spoke quietly. Zaria smiled and patted Frisk as well, "Mornin', Frisk." She said softly, and the little one blushed a bit.  
"...morning, Zari." They said, even quieter this time. Toriel laughed at them softly,  
"Still a bit shy, perhaps?" She asked to Zaria, who shrugged in return.  
"I guess." Zaria said as she cracked an egg into a bowl, watching the small child water the talking flower.


	3. A Bizarre Robot

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zaria remembers the first time she was shown genuine kindness in Ebott and meets a celebrity.

__Zaria sat in an empty diner; she had not figured out where she was going to stay the night._ _

___She had figured that she'd be able to stay at the inn a family of monsters owned, but rooms were booked. She officially had no place to stay. It was far too late to turn back; she'd already spent enough money on the bus. There weren't any other places in Ebott that were available.__ _

___She sighed sadly and put her hands on her face, feeling tears pooling in her palms. She cried over an empty plate of what used to be a burger. _She couldn't remember how long she had been crying when somebody put their hand on her shoulder.___ _

_____"Hey, are you alright, hun?" Asked a feminine voice. Zaria looked up, it was a waitress. She sniffled and shook her head, a few more tears slipping down her cheeks.__ _ _ _

______"I-...I have no place to stay." She hiccuped, bottom lip trembling, "I ran away from home and I can't afford the embarrassment of going back home...and-...and.." She burst into tears, covering her mouth to keep her from sobbing grossly. The waitress rubbed her shoulder gently,___ _ _ _

_______"My nephews own a three family home downtown, I'm sure I can convince them to let you stay on one of the floors, okay. For now, I'll let you stay the night at my house, dear. It'll be alright, you'll be alright. _" What's your name, lovebug?" The older woman said, patting her back.___ _ _ _ _ _

_________"I'm..- I'm Zaria." Zaria said, wiping her eyes.__ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________The waitress smiled softly, _"You have a beautiful name, Zaria. My name is Clare." She said, "It's very nice to meet you, young lady."___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

___________"It's nice to meet you too, Clare." Zaria said, looking down at her feet.__ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

  _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _~__________

 "You wanna know who Mettaton reminds me of?" Zaria's friend asked as they waited outside for their rides. Zaria looked at her friend, cocking an eyebrow at the mousey brunette.

"Who?" Zaria asked, leaning up against a tree, careful not to tangle her brown curls. The smaller girl giggled softly,

"He reminds me of that senior in a cheesy, coming-of-age movie who's the bland main character's love interest. He's so conventionally attractive and has the shiniest synthetic hair I've ever seen." She said, grasping one of her backpack straps in her hand. Zaria hummed thoughtfully, folding her arms and nodding.

"He reminds me of that 'GBF' stereotype." Zaria said, shrugging her shoulders. Her friend tilted her head in confusion, then nodded, "Right again, Z!" She said, "Hey..who's car is that?"

Zaria looked up and pointed at a gorgeous, sleek black car, pulling into the parking lot, "That one?" She asked. Her friend nodded and squinted at it in suspicion. It parked right in front of them and suddenly, it felt like everything was going in slow motion. The driver's door opened and two long legs, donning tall, hot-pink heeled boots swung out.

"Is that-?" Her friend started, her jaw dropping. Zaria squeaked in response, tan cheeks turning bright red. There, standing in the sunlight, was the one and only Mettaton. He was as beautiful and elegant as he was on TV, dressed in a gray crop top and blue jeans. Sunglasses covered his eyes and his makeup was perfectly done. Zaria felt like fainting; she probably looked stupid, with her hand on her chest and her cheeks bright red.

Mettaton spotted her and smiled widely, and sashayed over. Zaria's friend looked around, "I-Is he coming over here? Oh, my god..- He's coming over here. I..I have to go!" And with that, her friend abandoned her, leaving her to stare at Mettaton like a crazed fan.

"Miss Toriel did not tell me how absolutely gorgeous you were, darling!" Mettaton said, and Zaria felt her legs almost give out. She stammered out a quick response,

"Well-..I..you...are...- I'm Zaria!"

"Oh, darling, I know who you are. The little one has told me quite a bit about you on the way here!" He said, laughing. Zaria swallowed thickly.

If she had known Mettaton was going to introduce himself to her, she would've worn something that wasn't a pair of baggy and a t-shirt that had the chemical symbols for copper and tellurium on it, spelling out the word 'cute'. But, she really didn't care. Mettaton, a celebrity, thought she was gorgeous AND he knew who she was.

"What are you doing here?" Zaria asked, wringing her hands nervously as she stammered. She could not look at him in the face, and paid attention to the ants crawling in the parking lot.

"I'm here to pick you and darling Frisk up and bring you home. Miss Toriel's orders. She and Sans are going on a 'platonic date.'" He said, "So, why don't you come with me? Frisk's waiting for us in the car." Mettaton then took her hand and pulled her to the car.

During the ride home, Frisk was extra chatty, talking about their day and how much they missed Mettaton. They even called the robot celebrity, 'Uncle Mett', in which Mettaton smiled at every time he heard it. It was super sweet, how close Frisk was with every monster from the Underground, and Zaria hoped that perhaps Frisk would warm up to her like that. While she was thinking about her new family, Mettaton asked her a question. "So, darling, how do you like life in the house so far? Is it hectic?" He asked, glancing at her and smiling. Zaria shrugged, voice going soft,

"Sort of, but I like it a lot. Everybody has been so kind and I hope to get to know them all a little bit better in the time I continue to live there." Zaria said, fiddling with her seatbelt. She took a glance at the rearview mirror and Frisk was beaming at her. She smiled right back, but their own grin dropped and they looked away shyly.

 ...

 Zaria and Frisk sat at the living room table, doing homework. Flowey sat in his pot nearby, watching them and growing a bit frustrated at the quiet. He grumbled a bit before speaking in a demonic voice,

"H A I L S A T A N." It certainly gained Flowey attention in one way or another. It scared the hell out of Zaria and startled Frisk a little bit, resulting in glares from both parties. Flowey apologized smugly, smiling.

He stopped smiling when Frisk put him in timeout, which was a playpen in the corner of the living room.

 

**Author's Note:**

> New chapters will be posted every Saturday!


End file.
